Maximize Your Time: 7 Tips for Extreme Productivity
Know your work style and use the tools and systems that match. If you work well with technology, use your computer, phone, and apps for your scheduling and If you are a visual person, consider using a paper calendar and a written to-do list. If you are a people person, develop a team around you to complement your strengths. If you work alone, find time to focus and remain distraction-free. If you are a morning person, attack the most important tasks early in the day.
Make a to-do list at the end of each day. Your mind naturally begins to work on the list as you sleep. When you awake, you are ready to work, are very productive and organized. Estimate how much time each task will take you and only put on your next day to-do list what is reasonable to get done.
“Eat your frog first.” A Brian Tracy concept*: Do the hardest thing you have to do all day first before you do anything Doing this will provide you with the feeling of success in having a “burden” off your back and the momentum to accomplish the remaining tasks.
Have a clear goal; write it down and read it daily. When you have a goal, you know what to focus on and work.If you do not have this at the front of your mind, it is easy to get caught up with the urgent things of the day or trapped in reacting to e-mail, phone calls, interruptions, and other people’s emergencies.
Have a “power hour.” Designate one hour each day to close the door, shut down e-mail, turn off the ringer on the phone and guard yourself from interruptions. Have a pre-picked project that you will work on during this time Make sure to go to the bathroom, get a drink, and do whatever else you need to ensure you do not leave once this hour starts. Give yourself 30 minutes after this hour to return calls, e-mails, and care for people with whom you need to follow up that you missed during the POWER HOUR.
Touch it once. This means e-mail, mail, papers, etc. Touch it and decide. File it, toss it, or put it in a place for Sorting bins are helpful for this. Sorting bins often have labels like read, file, do this week, urgent, bills, etc. Also, if your subject lines in e-mails are accurate, it is easy for both you and the recipient to find the e-mail. Paper, soft copy (computer), and e-mail folders should have matching labels.
Have daily After you develop a routine of things that are simple but important, your body will naturally do them. This is important because we can get distracted by our regular routines and use them as vices to interrupt, procrastinate, and prolong important things that really need to get done. If you start your day right, you will be ready to do those urgent and important tasks, increasing your everyday productivity.
